Persimmons and coloring books can bring a ton of joy to life. You’ll see.

 

Before my friend Tiara and I had lunch and coffee about a week ago, Samarah and I were at her house smelling the fresh herbs from her garden, playing in their jumbo outdoor playhouse and snacking on fresh Persimmon chips.

Tiara has given me a ton of my urban homestead nesting inspiration, and so even after our lavish date, I was thinking about all the things we talked about.

On Wednesday night at church, she told me she’d stop by on Thursday because Samarah had forgotten her purse there the other day (oh, the tragedy when she realized she didn’t know where it was!). When she stopped over on Thursday, she brought me a little gift….a coloring book.

Persimmons and Coloring Books

In college, I would buy children’s coloring books and color every now and then after a friend of mine told me that they were teaching the education majors about how coloring was a form of stress release.

Coloring Books

I figured it couldn’t hurt to invest in a book and some markers, so I did. And I loved it. But after college, I  never really colored again. Apparently, coloring is a really big deal for adults now.

She got this Johanna Basford one at Costco, showed me the exceptional colored pencils and markers she has and told me to get some because we would be doing a girl’s night at her moms with wine and coloring in a couple weeks.

I put it on my calendar immediately.

And Persimmons

The very next day (yesterday), I got home from my Commercial Kitchen and when Samarah woke up from her nap, we ran errands. We stopped by the local Farmers’ Stand and there were piles and piles of Persimmons. Their season is ending, so they were just $1.00/pound.

I thought of Tiara again, and Samarah helped me bag up several.

We brought them home, and after dinner, I made my very first batch of Persimmon chips. Tiara texted me the simple instructions:

Slice them thin, sprinkle with cinnamon, place on a cooling rack on a cookie sheet, bake at 400 degrees until they reach your desired crispness.

About 35 minutes later they were done.

Addicting and awesome! Ryan, Samarah and I ate them all.

I thought about Persimmons, coloring books and Tiara before I went to bed last night.

I’m always returning what my friend Jen once told me,

Friendships are there for a specific reason and during specific seasons, and not all friendships were meant to last forever.

The older I get, the more I fully and wholeheartedly believe this.

All of my close friendships are vastly different. They each bring something to my life that seems very specific, and I love this about each and every single one of them. Tiara is one of my youngest, greatest friendships (many of my greatest friendships are 35+ years old) and I enjoy seeing life through her experiences, knowledge, and wisdom.

This past week Persimmons and coloring books reminded me of the sweet and colorful, savoring and relaxing friendships I keep close.

And I’m really starting to enjoy it.

p.s. Do you adult color?

Xox,
SKH